But instead of following in their footsteps, Conor Garrahy was turned in a different direction.

“My mom hated watching games with her sons in net,” Garrahy said. “I didn’t have that choice of playing goalie.”

Mom’s recommendation worked out pretty well.

Garrahy just finished his junior year at Bishop Hendricken, where he established himself as the Hawks’ top offensive option. He scored 39 goals on the season and added eight assists, giving him 47 total points.

“He was very consistent for us this year,” Hendricken head coach Kevin Murray said. “Scoring and also doing some other things for us – riding, and kind of being a little bit more involved in the offense.”

With All-American Alex Perreault battling injuries most of the year and ultimately getting surgery about halfway through, Garrahy was forced into a larger role, but didn’t seem to mind.

In fact, even prior to Perreault’s injury, Garrahy was already being counted on heavily.

“He was one of the captains this year, got voted in by the team as a junior,” Murray said. “That’s only happened a couple of other times at Hendricken with me – Briggs, and Larry Gallogly. That was a good spot for him at the beginning of the year.”

Garrahy’s growth in the sport is in part due to his dedication outside of the high school season. He plays in the summer and on a fall indoor team, all the while regularly going to the gym to try to improve his game.

“I got a lot faster, which helped me dodge and everything,” Garrahy said. “I used to just be a crease player. This year I was able to do some other things.”

The Hawks made the playoffs this season and won their quarterfinal game against North Kingstown before losing by one goal to Moses Brown in the semifinals.

Garrahy scored a goal in that game but it wasn’t quite enough to get Hendricken back to the championship.

Still, Garrahy’s season was a special one, and he’ll be back for another season to try to lead the Hawks even further.

“We had some injuries and some other stuff going on that could have been a distraction, but it wasn’t for the guys like him,” Murray said. “He kept the focus and kept the run for the playoffs.”